RELATIONS BETWEEN MODERN ART & THE BIBLE,

OUR TEXTBOOKS, & OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

Caroline Davis

Sophie Hopkins

Madeline Mancebo

Ryan O’Leary

Nella Varni

Student/Art Work/Artist

Caroline Davis…………………………………………………………….Starry Night………………………...………………………………Vincent van Gogh

Sophie Hopkins………………………………………………………..Christmas Eve…….……………………………………………………….Henri Matisse

Madeline Mancebo.…………………………………………………Christina’s World………………………………………………………..Andrew Wyeth

Ryan O’Leary……….…………………………………………………Collective Suicide…….………………………………....………David Alfaro Siqueiros

Nella Varni……………………………………………………………….Chateau Noir………………………………………………………………..Paul Cezanne

Caroline Davis

Vincent van Gogh

Starry Night

Date: June 1889

Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 29x36 1/4

The piece of art I chose to write about from my trip to MOMA is “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. This

piece has always resonated with me and while standing there looking at the real thing, I realized that there are

multiple deeper meanings that can be found in this classic portrait of a landscape. Van Gogh created Starry Night in

1889 while seeking treatment at a mental asylum. He painted this piece from memory, creating such a beautiful and

expressive image. It has been said and thought that Van Gogh’s inner turmoil inspired some of the characteristics in

this painting. This famous piece was even referenced in Don Mclean’s song “Vincent (Starry Starry Night) released

in 1976, where Mclean writes about Van Gogh’s struggles in life and what messages he was trying to portray in

Starry Night. I think Mclean captures the deeper message perfectly when he sings in the chorus, “Now I think I know

what you tried to say to me, and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free, they would not

listen they did not know how, perhaps they’ll listen now.” Mclean references the inner demons that Van Gogh dealt

with in beautiful way. I think these are two perfect examples of the author-focused approach. According to our text,

“This approach assumes that by understanding the more about the author we will be able to gain a clearer picture on

some of the core meanings of the form of popular culture that we are studying” (Lynch 112).

I think this piece of popular culture can definitely relate to our study of theology and the Bible as well. According to

our textbook “Understanding Theology and Popular Culture, “theology is the process of seeking normative answers to

questions of truth/meaning, goodness/practice, evil, suffering, redemption, and beauty in specific contexts” (Lynch 94).

This definition poses some interesting questions that could relate to Van Gogh and his Starry Night. For example, why

does God allow there to be suffering, pain, mental illnesses, or evil etc.? Lynch also poses three broad critiques of

theology in which one is called an ontological enquiry asking, “Do popular culture understandings of God, suffering, evil,

and redemption offer a true, adequate, or meaningful account of existence in the light of the absolute reference point for

life?” (98). I think Starry Night certainly offers a meaningful account of life and the reference points in it. It expresses the

struggles in Van Gogh’s life and what he was feeling at the time. It also explores darker emotions of sadness and pain.

After doing some research on this artwork and how it could relate biblically, I came across a theory that relates it to

a verse in the book of Genesis that discusses the account of Joseph. Genesis 37:9 reads, “Then he dreamed still another

dream and told it to his brothers, saying, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon and the

eleven stars bowed down to me.” Van Gogh can relate to Joseph because just as Joseph was sold into slavery, spent years

in prison, and could never gain the respect or acceptance of his 11 older brothers, Van Gogh was sent to a mental asylum

towards the end of his life and never received much recognition from art critics during his time.

HENRI MATISSE

Christmas Eve (Nuit de Noël)

1952

Maquette for stained-glass

window

Gouache on paper, cut and

pasted, mounted on board

107 x 53 1/2"

Sophie Hopkins

MatisseI have chosen to discuss Matisse’s Cutouts for my portion of this project. The Cutouts are Matisse’s grand finale work and I felt

honored to see them on their very last day in showing at the MOMA her in NYC. What fascinates me most about the Cutouts is

how incredibly spiritual they feel. Matisse was a self pronounced atheist his whole life, but many consider these cutouts to have

been his spiritual rebirth. It is nearly impossible to stand in the presence of this particular exhibit of his work without considering

the thought that in his final years he found religion and truly appreciated its beauty.

The Cutout in which I was most genuinely moved was the one entitled “Christmas Eve”. It is full of color and precision. The title

of the piece leads us to believe that he is trying to show us where the true light comes from. The star bursting at top of the piece is

a symbol of Jesus and the birth that saved us all. This particular piece is Matisse’s own version of a stain glass window. Standing in

the presence of it feels very powerful. On one wall is the cutout that perfectly mirrors a stain glass window that is on the other wall.

The stain glass window cutout piece sits opposite of a wall featuring another piece by Matisse that depicts suffering. I think that

this is extremely telling. The people who are suffering on one wall have the light of the stain glass window shining on them from

the other side. This so boldly represents how our suffering is not ignored and how God is there for us to be a pillar of strength in

times of struggle. The flood story in the bible is a good juxtaposition of Matisse’s work. Our book mentions that, “in most

interpretations of the flood story, the people not on the ark are forgotten” (McEntire/Emerson, 13). Matisse, with his stain glass

window pieces, would suggest that this is not the truth. No matter whether we have made mistakes in the past or not, God will find

us and be there for us in our times of struggle.

MatisseMatisse’s work relates beautifully to our studies on the Bible and popular culture. The book discusses the internal struggle we often

feel when trying to keep our faith in the face of a sometimes-cruel reality. In his final years, Matisse finally “saw the light” and

began to make these cutouts directly related to his views of the church and of spirituality. I think that it took his whole life, but at

the end he finally believed that there was some sort of higher being out there watching over us, even at our very worst times. He is

quoted as saying, “I strive for an art of balance and purity. An art that causes no unrest or confusion. I would like to accomplish

that people who are tired, strained, broken, may find rest and peace in my paintings” (Matisse). This thought reflects in his cutouts

profoundly. When you walk in the presence of the cutout exhibition, you can’t help but feel Matisse is trying to help us feel the

light of what is above us. He wants his viewer to recognize that there is a greater good and their struggles will subside as they

continue to be watched and cared for by a greater power. This is the comfort he tried to convey through his work.

Relating a specific Bible verse to this piece is not a challenge considering it represents so much. It is obviously related to the story

of Jesus’s birth as it is entitle, “Christmas Eve”. I, however, like to relate this particular piece of art to a verse in 2 Corinthians

4:8-9 which reads: We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not

forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

This powerful statement reflects the struggle that is made luminous by Matisse “Christmas Eve” cutout piece. In the case of the

Matisse cutouts, aside from the vivid color and incredible imagery, the most important aspect at play is the position of the works

against each other. The stain glass window on its own shows the beauty and light of spirituality. The window opposite of a piece of

suffering shows the comfort and strength that spirituality can bring.

MatissePopular culture is often conveyed as a negative influence in the lives of many. I find Matisse’s work to be a string reflection of the

world’s view on culture. The other day, I read in the book about Psalms and the difference between the righteous path and the

wicked one. It states that, “the tree planted by the water thus stands as an entry point to the book of Psalms” (McEntire/ Emerson,

62). We are always looking for the right path, but culture can sometimes bring negativity along with the positivity. It is up to use

to figure out how to live in light. Just as Matisse shows how the light will shine on those who suffer, I also think the light will shine

on the wicked.We are not as humans, either good or bad. It is natural for us to be a mix of the two. Matisse’s cutouts represent the

reflection we see in ourselves. We may not always do the right thing, but the effort we put into becoming a better person is the

most important part of it all. Matisse was anti religion for the majority of his life but for some reason towards the end, he decided

to believe in the greater good and the greater power. His stain glass window cutout work is a wonderful representation of how with

every aspect of life there is some struggle. With brightness comes darkness. Our struggle is heard and even in our worst times, god

is there to shine the light.

The only light that can break up the darkness is represented in the star atop Matisse’s window. The sacred quality of “Christmas

Eve” is clear and will forever be an inspiration to those who are looking for it.

Madeline Mancebo

Andrew Wyeth

Christina’s World

Date: 1948

Tempera on Panel

Dimensions: 32 1/4 x 47

3/4"

Christina’s World is a very well known painting in popular culture by Andrew Wyeth. It is an image of a young woman who is crippled

by polio. In the painting, she is crawling through a field in Main to get back to her house. Wyeth explained that, “the challenge to me was to do

justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless” (MOMA). Although the young woman with polio

seems somewhat hopeless, Wyeth wanted to illustrate the idea that there is still hope yet. After personally examining and scrutinizing the

painting, I imagine that the woman is crawling towards something more. She seems to be crawling and reaching out to a better life. The idea of

hope and hopelessness comes up multiple times in the Bible.

One section that particularly stands out to me is the story of Moses and the Israelites making the long trek to the promised land where

they had to undergo much suffering, pain and death. “The Israelites had traveled in the wilderness for forty years until all the men who were old

enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died” (Joshua 5:6). Just like the Israelites had to endure pain to get to the promise land, the

woman in the photo suffers while crawling back to get to safety. That safety may be the house, or it may be heaven after her death.

As we discussed in one of the questions asked about the Promise Land in “Raising Cain, Fleeing Egypt, and Fighting Philistines”; in

order to appreciate the good in our lives, we must understand pain. Part of the experience of living is going through hard times in order to

completely understand the feeling of happiness. The woman in the photo knows a terrible pain, and because of this she is able to really

appreciate the good parts of her life.

After analyzing the painting, I noticed that it relates really closely with a Bruce Springsteen song called “Promise Land”, which is

discussed in our text. In the song, the man sings about many troubles in his life. A verse from the song reads, “Explode and tear this whole

town apart. Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart. Find somebody itching for something to start” (MetroLyrics). Clearly he is enduring

much turmoil. “Despite all of the fear and turmoil, the song returns repeatedly to the image of the “promised land” in the chorus” (Emerson,

41). Even though he is suffering, he has hope that there is still good in store for him. The woman in the painting must struggle through her

illness and crawling back to the house. However, even though she seems hopeless, she can still see the promise land. She is crawling because

she has hope.

Ryan O’Leary

Artist: David Alfaro Siqueiros

Art: Collective Suicide (1936)

David Alfaro Siqueiros was one of art's most politically radical Mexican muralists. From 1910 to 1920 he fought in the

Mexican Revolution as a part of the revolutionary army. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil war, he joined forces with the

republicans to fight against fascist forces. David also made an unsuccessful attempt at the assassination of Leon Trotsky in 1940. In

a single art piece, David attempts to reveal his radical visions of revolution and politics by drawing back to personal experience

and beliefs. In a 1936 work, Collective Suicide, David reflects back to his experiences in the Revolutionary War and attempts to

portray the contemporary effects of totalitarian regimes on pre-Hispanic cultures (Siqueiros).

At first glance of Collective Suicide, my eyes were drawn to the large, chaotic brown and white pit placed in the center of

the canvas. As the painting continued, an armored Spanish army lead by a broken statue of God appeared in the bottom right

corner. The left corned held a Native American army who looked to be taking their own lives, some stabbing themselves, while

others were jumping into the pit. The picture summarized is said to be “an apocalyptic vision of the Spanish conquest of Mexico”

(Siqueiros).

Once I read the words apocalyptic, I instantly thought of the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation describes the rising of The

Great Whore and the Beast and the second coming of Jesus. This great whore and the beast are described when the Bible says, “And the ten

horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the

beast. They are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb” (Revelation 17:12-14). Going back

to the painting, The Spanish Army represents what I believe to be the ten horns on the beast. The army is an example of power, wealth, and

unawareness of pre-Hispanic culture. The broken statue of God represents their driving, historically lacking, technological advancement.

Incorporation of tradition into modern innovation is lost leading to the world to an end.

The Native American army represents what is left of pre-industrial society. So revolted against the loss of faith and tradition,

the army begins taking their own lives. Some jump into the massive pit, which I believe resembles the same pit the evil beast falls into in

Revelation. This pit is a resemblance of chaos, chaos meaning contemporary advancements such as technology, beliefs, and orders. “Collective

Suicide is both a memorial of the doomed pre-Hispanic cultures of the Americans and a rallying cry against contemporary totalitarian regimes,”

regimes meaning Governments, Dictatorships or Communists (Siqueiros). A central control over all aspects of life is what forces the Native

Americans to lose touch with who they are. They throw themselves into a pit of what they have become, showing that they have given into the

powers of evil, essentially killing their souls. “The apocalyptically passive individual views the world as irredeemably corrupt and ultimately

destined

Nella Varni

Paul Cezanne

Chateau Noir

Date: 1903-04

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 29 x 36 3/4" (73.6 x 93.2 cm)

The Art

When I first saw Paul Cezanne’s Chateau Noir, I

immediately thought of the story in Exodus of Moses

leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. The old

country house known as the Chateau Noir (name

meaning “the black manor”) looks very isolated and is

half-hidden behind a type of forest. The house itself

looks powerful, but almost impossible to get to – the

dark greens and blues used enhance this – this is

where I started to think of Moses travelling in the

desert with the Israelites to the Promised Land.

(MOMA)

The Story: Moses & The Promised Land

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned

about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and

spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry

of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my

people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:7-21

Ten plagues strike Egypt because Moses appears in Pharaoh’s court to request the release of the Israelites. With the help of his divine staff, Moses

parts the waters of the Red Sea simply by outstretching his arms. Moses himself is far from passive, yet he represents what would be the

framework of the biblical hero whose greatness lies in obedience to God.

In the end, Moses too gets lost in fear and was told by God that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. In Numbers 20:8-12, the Lord

tells Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out

its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink. Moses' response: "So Moses took the staff

from the Lord's presence, just as He commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them,

‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed

out, and the community and their livestock drank." The Lord was displeased with Moses’ actions: “Because you did not trust in me enough to

honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

In the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses gazes across the river and sees the Promised Land. (McEntire/Emerson 37) After 40 years of

wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land.

What is our “Promised Land?” (Based on our everyday lives, and what we’ve learned throughout this course.)

I think as young adults, we’re constantly striving to build better lives for ourselves. Currently we’re trying to finish up our years at school and find

careers to support our future selves. Our “Promised Land” is the idea of not having to worry about if we’re going to be okay or successful, and if we

stay on the right track we will get there.

This may seem like a gloomier piece of art to have chosen, but I find the view of the country house to be quite beautiful. When related to Moses’

final period, I see the countryhouse in the painting as the promised land that the others will get to. The tones used in the colors of both the trees

and walls give off a sense that it’s all far off and not particularly easy to get to, but once you get there you’ll be secure.

Sometimes I think that we make things seem to be more unobtainable than they actually are. We aren’t called to lead others like Moses was, but we

feel called to find the Promised Land for ourselves. However, this doesn't mean we can't be great leaders amongst each other anyway.

Moses’ most heroic virtue is his unchanging obedience. He continuously followed the action that the Lord gave him. Near the end of his journey

when he became worried about displeasing the amount of people he had led, he lost faith. As humans, we tend to worry about things that are out

of our hands. This in particular reminded me of the trees in Cezanne’s painting; they make the country house look far away and really difficult to

get to, like Moses gazing from a distance at the Promised Land just before his death. As young adults, sometime we feel discouraged to continue to

pursue our dreams. We shouldn’t let our fear of not making it stop us from trying.

Throughout this course, we’ve discussed what’s moving us further away from God, and one of those things is most definitely fear. There is a point

where Moses struggles to maintain a connection between Israel and God. (McEntire/Emerson 37) Like the Israelites, we cannot be afraid. As they

trusted Moses, we need to put our trust in the Lord. He will lead us to our beautiful, safe, Promised Land.

Works Cited

Rookmaker, Marleen H. "ArtWay.eu." ArtWay.eu. Art Way, 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.McEntire, Mark Harold, and Joel Emerson. Raising Cain, Fleeing Egypt, and Fighting Philistines: The Old Testament in Popular Music. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Pub., 2006. Print.Shabi, K. "Starry Night: Meaning of the Vincent Van Gogh Landscape Painting." Legomenon. Legomenon Online Literary Journal & Magazine, 3 June 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.Siqueiros, David A. "David Alfaro Siqueiros. Collective Suicide (1936)." MoMA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.Wainwright, Elaine Mary, and Philip Leroy Culbertson. The Bible In/and Popular Culture: A Creative Encounter. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010. Print.Wyeth, Andrew. “Christina’s World. (1948).” MoMA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.Cézanne, Paul. Château Noir (1903-04)." MoMA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.